Hereford Youth Win Walter and Joe Lewis Awards

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Cassie Bacon and Morgan Firestine were awarded Walter and Joe Lewis Memorial Awards, July 19 at the conclusion of the Junior National Hereford Expo (JNHE) in Kansas City.

The Walter and Joe Lewis Memorial Award is one of the most coveted awards a junior member can win at the JNHE. Finalists are recognized for overall achievement in leadership, teamwork, skills and competition. Selection of the award winner relies on a point system for participation in junior programs and activities.

Cassie Bacon, Prairie Grove, Ark., was awarded the first-place scholarship of $500. Bacon has shown Hereford cattle for 17 years and has been active in her state junior Hereford association. Her experience carried over to the national level, where she was a board member for the National Junior Hereford Association (NJHA). Bacon has had success in the showring, winning championships at the JNHE and the Arkansas State Fair. She has also been active in FFA and is a senior at Oklahoma State University receiving a dual major in animal science and agricultural communications.

Morgan Firestine, Womelsdorf, Pa., was awarded a second-place scholarship of $375. Firestine has been active in the Pennsylvania Junior Hereford Association serving as president and has also won numerous FFA awards. She has been involved in many organizations, including the National Agri-Marketing Association, 4-H and her local church. Firestine is a senior at Penn State University majoring in agriculture business management with a specialization in marketing.